Math, artistry merged

Researcher helps Volvo design cars

"The human eye is the single
most important factor in making a choice. all the car designers are
extraordinarily conscious about it."  Dr. Björn
Dahlberg

Volkswagen might have its Fahrvergnugen, but Volvo can counter the
advertising blitzkrieg with something it could be excused for calling
Dahlbergmatics.

Dr. Björn Dahlberg is a mathematician who isn't just interested
in addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. His life's work is
employing more complex
mathematical theories to solve
problems such as how to make an
automobile more visually appeal
ing, acoustically perfect and easy to
manufacture.

In a joint venture with Volvo Corp., Dahlberg used his math skills to
create a computer software program the Swedish carmaker follows to design
its automobiles in a fraction of the time it used to take. A new roof line
and rear-end design in next year's models is the product of his research,
he said.

The 40-year-old Swede will be trying to build on that kind of success
from a new home base - the University of South Carolina, where he has
recently signed on as a parttime research professor.

At USC, he'll be reunited with his friend, countryman and admirer,
DrBjörn Jawerth, who calls Dahlberg one of the "world's most famous"
mathematicians.

Dahlberg will be working with Jawerth and fellow researchers Dr. Ronald
DeVore and Dr. Robert Sharpley, all of whom are involved with an
"industrial mathematics (initiative) ... devoted to development of
mathematical methods for solving problems arising in industry."

Simply put, they are trying to figure out new ways to apply mindboggling
math theories in the business world using computer programming as a
shortcut.

The research team is working
with Southwestern Bell on a project experimenting with transmitting video
signals via telephone lines. The U.S. Department of Defense has given the
mathematicians a grant to try to develop improved radar detection devices.

It is that kind of corporate and government support that brought
Dahlberg to the United States seven years ago.

"In this country, so much of the research is driven by military needs,"
Dahlberg said. "We don't have that back home."

"Back home" for Dahlberg is Gothenberg, an industrial seaport in western
Sweden he calls "the Swedish San Francisco." His wife, a high school
chemistry and math teacher, and two daughters, ages 16 and 11, remain
there. Dahlberg said he plans to split his time between the two countries.

His first six-month stint at USC will begin in November, and at some
point, he said, he'd also like to teach a graduate seminar.

Dahlberg, who likes to cook and dine on Italian food for relaxation,
said he realized at age 12 he would make mathematics his life's work. He
earned his doctorate from the
University of Gothenberg at 21, the youngest person to do so, according to
his colleague, Jawerth.

Early on, he decided he would apply his talent in math "to work on
optical design problems" such as those posed by automobile manufacturers.

While in Sweden, Dahlberg said, he'll be able to use computers to do his
research and keep in touch with DeVore, Sharpley and Jawerth, a permanent
U.S. resident

Dahlberg said USC's commitment to modern computer equipment and research
lured him to Columbia from Washington University in St. Louis, one of
three American universities where he has worked since 1983.

Dr. Paul G. Huray, USC's senior vice president for research, told
colleagues last month, "He brings a new dimension to our research
efforts."

"I'm excited about coming here," Dahlberg said. "I want to work with the
people here. It's a unique opportunity for myself. Hopefully, the
university sees it the same way."

The math problem solution that Dahlberg and colleagues came up with for
Volvo works this way: A photograph is taken of an automobile. A computer
program using a math formula - sort of a shortcut the researchers worked
out is able to analyze an immense amount of information in that photo that
an ordinary computer would normally be unable to handle.

The information is then used by engineers who must calibrate the
assembly-line machinery used to manufacture the automobile. Dahlberg
describes it as "extracting data" and "synthesizing it into
manageable components." His math formula shortcut and computer software
approach to designing an esthetically pleasing car bypasses the need to
use a costly supercomputer.

Traditionally, car manufacturers have relied on artistic designers
usually using clay - to create the look for an automobile, and engineers
would then have to figure out a way to set up machinery to manufacture the
model. It can he a costly, trial-and-error method.

Dahlberg said the software system he helped develop reduces the time
and cost of finding a compromise between artist, who is concerned with the
car's visual beauty, and the engineer, who has more practical concerns.

"All I want to do is make the software that makes a bridge between those
two viewpoints," he said.

"Anyone can make a dependable automobile. It has to sell.

"The human eye is the single most important factor in making a choice,"
he said. "All the car designers are extraordinarily conscious about it."